Quoting History: the marginalization of public diplomacy

Secretary of State George P. Shultz said today that ”we’re not going anywhere” in Soviet-American relations until Moscow and Washington agree to stop conducting their diplomacy in public. He called on both sides to resume regular, secret contacts. …

”We will get somewhere in our relationship with the Soviets when we’re able to have some discussions that are relatively quiet and direct,” he said. …

”I don’t say there isn’t always a public diplomacy aspect to this relationship, but there has to be more than that if we are going to get any place,” he said.

He said the Soviet side ”had started” the public exchange, which he found to be unproductive, but acknowledged that the White House had also fallen into the practice.